Wednesday, April 13, 2022 (12:00 GMT)

This content was published on April 13, 2022 – 10:46 am April 13, 2022 – 10:46 am

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UKRAINE WAR

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RUSSIA

Russia asserts that 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered in Mariupol

Moscow (EFE).- The Russian military command has today assured that 1,026 Ukrainian marines have surrendered in the besieged city of Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konanschenkov specified that among the soldiers who surrendered there were 162 officers and 47 women. “151 wounded Ukrainian servicemen from the 36th Marine Brigade received medical aid on the spot, after which they were transferred to Mariupol Hospital,” the spokesman added.

RUNNER

Ukraine cannot open humanitarian corridors today because of Russian attacks

Kyiv (EFE).- The Ukrainian authorities announced that this Wednesday they will not be able to open a humanitarian corridor in the country for the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of basic foodstuffs due to the blockades and ceasefire violations by Russian troops. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk assured on her Telegram channel that in the Zaporizhia region in the south “the (Russian) occupiers blocked the evacuation buses and in the Lugansk region (east) are breaking fire”.

CHILDREN

The number of children killed in Ukraine since the start of the invasion rises to 191

Kyiv (EFE).- The number of children killed as a result of the war in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24 has now risen to 191, according to figures published today by the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office via Telegram. Most of the minors who died occurred in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, which was partially occupied by Russian troops. In addition, “the number of identified and examined bodies of civilians killed in the Kyiv region as a result of Russian aggression already exceeds 720,” Andriy Nebitov, head of the Kiev regional police, said on his Facebook page on Wednesday.

RUSSIA

Putin denies “war crimes” in Bucha and defends his “noble” campaign

Moscow (EFE).- Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday denied the alleged “war crimes” committed by Russian troops in Bucha and defended the military campaign in Ukraine, calling its goals “noble”. “What is happening in Ukraine is a tragedy, but we had no choice. It was the right decision,” said the Kremlin chief at a joint press conference with his Belarusian counterpart Alexandr Lukashenko.

prisoners

Zelenskyy proposes that Russia exchange the politician Medvedchuk for imprisoned children

International Writing (EFE).- Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenski proposed this Tuesday to exchange pro-Russian political prisoner Victor Medvedchuk, a friend of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin, for the children captured by the Russian army. Zelenskyy announced Tuesday the arrest of Medvedchuk, who was under house arrest by judge’s order but fled on February 24, just as Russia began its “military special operation” in Ukraine. The 67-year-old politician and businessman has been charged with high treason for divulging state secrets, conducting business in Ukraine’s annexed Crimea peninsula, working for Russia and having “steady ties” with Putin.

MARIUPOL

The OPCW shows its “concern” about the alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine

The Hague/Washington (EFE).- The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on Tuesday expressed and offered its “concern” over unconfirmed information about a suspected chemical weapons attack on the port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. Assistance” in the event of “use or threat of use” of this prohibited weapon. The United States continues to evaluate this suspected chemical attack, which it has not yet been able to confirm, a senior Defense Department official said Tuesday.

CREMATORIES

They denounce that Russia uses mobile crematoria to dispose of evidence of crimes

Kyiv (EFE).- The Russian troops intend to eliminate any kind of evidence confirming that they have committed crimes against humanity in Ukraine, using mobile crematoria, particularly in the city of Mariúpol, so as not to leave any traces their atrocities, assured the Ukrainian secret service. In a message played by the city council of this port city on its Telegram account, Ukrainian intelligence services assure that “the Russian leadership has ordered the destruction of all evidence of its army’s crimes in Ukraine.”

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CORONAVIRUS

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CHINA

China, inflexible in its commitment to ‘zero Covid’ to break Omicron

Beijing (EFE).- Shanghai continues its strict confinement at the mercy of the “zero Covid” policy, despite the exhaustion of its residents, while the official press insists that Omicron can be defeated and social networks are the most critical voices with the restrictions to silence. The number of infections continues to rise in the city, with 1,189 positive and more than 20,000 asymptomatic infections — Beijing doesn’t count them as confirmed cases unless they show symptoms — counted today. To manage the largest outbreak recorded in China – with more than 20,000 active cases and more than 200,000 asymptomatic, spread across several provinces – since the pandemic began, authorities have deviated from their usual scenario, which implies severe restrictions on mobility, and the Borders closed the exterior and delimited entire cities as in the case of Shanghai.

POSITION

The number of cases and deaths from Covid-19 in the world continues to decrease

Geneva (EFE).- The number of new confirmed cases and deaths caused by Covid-19 has continued to fall worldwide over the last week, according to data published today in the World Health Organization (WHO) weekly epidemiological report. This is the third consecutive week that both indicators are down 24% and 18%, respectively, over the past seven days. The global total for the past week was 7 million new cases of Covid-19 and 22,000 additional deaths, with declines across all regions.

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PHILIPPINES STORM

At least 53 dead in Philippines tropical storm

Manila (EFE).- At least 53 people have died and six remain missing after a tropical storm devastated the central part of the archipelago, authorities said this Wednesday. The mayor of the city of Baybay in eastern Leyte province, the hardest-hit area, has confirmed that a land avalanche has claimed the lives of at least 47 people in a barangay (neighborhood), a number that could increase in the next few hours due to the Number of hospital admissions. For its part, the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management said another 3 people died in Mindanao and another three in Eastern Visayas, and a total of almost 35,000 people were evacuated to the makeshift centers approved by the authorities.

AIE OIL

The IEA lowers its forecast for crude oil demand and assumes there will be no shortage

Paris (EFE).- The International Energy Agency (IEA), in line with OPEC’s actions yesterday, has significantly downgraded its forecasts for global demand for crude oil this year, although fundamentally there is significant uncertainty surrounding Russian oil and no serious ones are expected shortage problems. In its monthly report on the oil market published this Wednesday, the IEA points out that the restrictions decreed in China in view of the emergence of Covid outbreaks explain much of this review – which focuses mainly on the second quarter – with respect to what, which had calculated in March. The agency’s experts now expect global demand this year to be about 99.4 million barrels a day, up 1.9 million from 2021 but 260,000 fewer than forecast a month ago.

CHINESE TRADE

Trade between China and the rest of the world slowed in March

Shanghai (China) (EFE).- Trade between China and the rest of the world slowed its annual growth rate to 5.8% in March due to the fall in imports, according to official data released today by the Shanghai General Administration of Customs asian country. China’s foreign trade was up 13.3% year-on-year in the first two months and 21.4% in 2021, thanks to a sharp rebound in exports as part of the global economic recovery after the first impact of the Covid19 pandemic.

US SHOOT

NYPD identifies ‘person of interest’ in subway attack

New York (EFE) .- New York police have identified Frank James, a 62-year-old man whom authorities are searching for “by any means available”, as a “person of interest” in Tuesday’s subway attack. However, it is not yet clear whether he is the perpetrator. Police Chief Keechant Sewell said: “Although it was a violent incident, it appears that no one was fatally injured in this case.” Of the 10 people injured by bullets, half are in critical but stable condition, a health source said, while another 19 being treated in hospitals, some of them for smoke inhalation.

USA D. HUMANOS

In its human rights report, the USA refers to Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua and China

Washington (EFE).- The United States highlighted on Tuesday in its annual report on human rights Russia, Cuba, Nicaragua and China expressing its concern about the torture, executions and oppression allegedly carried out in these countries . This State Department document, released today and covering the year 2021, will serve as guidance for the US Congress in determining the foreign aid provided to each nation. In a press conference, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that over the past year Washington has seen the human rights record deteriorate and authoritarianism continue to rise in many parts of the world.

UN DEVELOPMENT

According to the UN, the debt of poor countries is slowing down their recovery from the pandemic

United Nations (EFE).- The vast resources that developing countries are having to expend to pay down their debts are making their recovery from the economic crisis triggered by the pandemic much more difficult and further widening the gap between rich and poor countries, the UN warned on Tuesday. In a report, the organization analyzed in detail how debt financing is forcing many governments to cut key development policies, including social protection, health or education.

EFE

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